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One of the benefits living in Saudi Arabia is the wide and versatile variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available from around the world. June is a prime month in the Kingdom to enjoy the succulent mango. A recent Mango festival in Jeddah featured this delicious fruit and all the various ways it can be served.

I was first introduced to freshly picked mangos when I was living in Pakistan. A friend of mine had a large mango farm in Sind and when mango season arrived he arranged for crates of the most prime mangos to be flown to Islamabad.

The first time I ate a mango was what I was told is a very traditional manner. I was given the mango and it was so ripe I was able to twist it in half, remove the large pit from the middle and then eat it fresh with a spoon. After eating the fruit I then tipped each portion of the mango up to slurp up the remaining juices. It was mango heaven!

In addition to serving mango naturally, it can be made up as chutney, sauces, pies, cakes, bread, muffins and more! I had a chef in Pakistan who made the smoothest and creamiest mango mousse.

It is very common for Saudis who are in Pakistan to ship crates of mangos to their families in the Kingdom. Fortunately, mangos are also readily available at the grocery stores in the Kingdom too.

5 Responses

Oh yessss! I have tried various mango delicacies at indian/pakistani restaurants. They are simply fabulous!

My favorite is mango lassi milkshake. We liked it so much that we started making it at home. It is very easy to make.

All you need is yogurt, milk, mangoes (peeled/stone removed), and splenda, then put it in the blender for couple of minutes and frappe it. Putting a dash of ground cardamom on the top will take you to seventh heaven. BTW, many indian/pakistani stores carry a ready made version also.

Maybe it’s just me but I have found mango lassi to be a very effective analgesic for my arthritis. Again, at least for me, it also acts as a sleep-inducing agent before bedtime instead of sleeping pills :)-

The mangos in Saudi are usually imported from either Pakistan or India.

There are some farms in Saudi Arabia which produce local fruits and veggies. Many of these farmers will come in to the large city and sell from the back of their truck. They’ll have produce like tomatos, lettuce, cucumbers, watermelon.

Of course, Saudi is best known for its fabulous date (tumer) farms.

@Radha – I loved it when I lived in both India and Pakistan and received the freshest of mangos. You’re right; there is no comparison between the fresh mango and the one which has been shipped.